The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 02, 1995
Filed:
Jul. 29, 1994
Gary D Balon, Hershey, PA (US);
Ira J Wells, York, PA (US);
The Whitaker Corporation, Wilmington, DE (US);
Abstract
A docking connector unit for connecting portable personal computers to various peripheral input/output (I/O) devices such as keyboard, monitor, printer, modem and mouse, comprises, in a first mode, two docking unit assemblies, one of which connects to the I/O ports of a computer, and comprises matching I/O ports and one component of a two-component consolidated electrical connector; the other of which comprises the other component of a two-component consolidated electrical connector, and I/O ports which duplicate the I/O ports of the computer. In a second mode, the first docking unit assembly is in effect permanently installed in the computer, so that the I/O ports of the computer are consolidated as one component of a two-component consolidated electrical connector. In the second mode, the docking connector unit of the invention comprises a component of a two-component consolidated electrical connector to match the component permanently installed in the computer, and I/O ports which substitute for the I/O ports of the computer. In either event, a high-density (at least about 25 conductors per square centimeter) consolidated electrical connector is preferred for use. The device provides for ease of disconnecting a collection of peripheral I/O equipment from a computer, and reconnecting either the same or another similarly configured computer to the same collection of peripheral I/O equipment.